Mosport International Raceway is located outside Bowmanville, ON and is one of Canada’s most historic circuits. It hosted the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix from 1967 to 1977, however in the modern era of “safe” race tracks, it is now known for being one of the few remaining old-school tracks. Infamous among race fans for requiring male attachments the size of watermelons, Turn 2 at Mosport is one of the most daunting bends in North American motorsports. Approached near top speed, the corner starts with a blind turn in over the crest of a hill, leaving the driver only guessing if they’ve slowed down enough or turned in at the right moment. As the car comes over the hill, you better hope that you managed to get the car in the right place, as the track drops away several stories, while tilting off camber, leaving the driver hanging on and at the mercy of the track. At that moment the driver is left with the decision of when to get back on the throttle, still needing to negotiate through a second apex on the exit. All this at well over 150km/hr with the wall never more than a few feet away.

Just in case you don’t believe me…

This weekend was my first trip to Mosport, and as such my first crack at conquering Turn 2. I’ll call the final score a draw, tied 1-1. Under dry conditions in qualifying, I was able to find enough internal fortitude to take the car to the limit, and was rewarded with a solid 2nd place on my first trip to the track. I had high hopes that I could turn my P2 grid spot into a win at the ultimate of drivers tracks, but unfortunately the rain came. Although I was able to stare down Turn 2 in the dry, I found the wet to be an entirely different story. In my first ever rain race in the Jetta Cup car, I could never quite find the confidence to slip and slide my way through Turn 2 at quite the speed of the leaders. I dropped to 5th place and top Rookie, which was still a great result at such a daunting track. I can’t wait for my next trip to Mosport as conquering Turn 2 and winning here is an accomplishment for any driver.

JT

Turning in over the crest